Badlapur Minor Sexual Assault Case: Are BJP-Shiv Sena And UBT Leaders Part Of School Board?

The recent child sexual abuse case at a school in Badlapur in Thane district has escalated into a political controversy following widespread violence and arson. As per reports, the school's chief trustee, Uday Kotwal, is a BJP leader, which has led the Mahavikas Aghadi to target the saffron party. However, local media has reported that while five members of the school's trustee board are associated with Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena-UBT.

In the midst of this controversy, the Bombay High Court has directed the state government to file an affidavit detailing the police investigation before the case is handed over to a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The court has set the next hearing for August 27, demanding answers to the questions raised about the investigation.

Following the incident, a flurry of accusations erupted in political circles, with various parties attempting to blame each other for the serious incident. Opposition parties initially targeted the BJP reportedly due to the presence of RSS and BJP-affiliated leaders on the school's trustee board.

The current trustee board of the Adarsh Vidya Prasarak Sanstha includes leaders from both Shiv Sena factions— Eknath Shinde's group and Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena, reported local media. Of the total members, five belong to these factions, with two being independent and teacher members.

While Chairman Uday Kotwal said to have an RSS background, Vice-Chairman Janardan Dhorpade is said to a Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader. 
Other RSS-linked board members are Ram Shete - Treasurer, Uday Kelkar - Member, BJP leader Nandkishore Patkar - Member, while Shiv Sena-Shinde faction linked board members are former Thane District Shiv Sena chief Manohar Ambawane - Member, Sanjay Gaikwad - Member, and Sena-UBT faction-linked board members are Harishchandra Bhoir - Member, and Ashok Ghorpade - Member. Thus, the school board has members not only from the RSS but also from the both factions of the Shiv Sena as well as from the BJP.

To ensure transparency in the investigation, the Bombay High Court has requested an affidavit from the state government. The next steps in this complex case will be closely watched, as political parties continue to clarify their positions on the issue.